Lifting-jack.



T. H. WITTLIFF & C. W PARKER.

Lil-TING JACK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22. 1914.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT THEODORE H. WITTLIFIE AND CHARLES W. PARKER, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'lO SAID WITTLIFIF'.

LIFTING-JAl'JK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, EH6.

To all whom it 272 (13 concern.

Be it known that we, Tnnononn H. lVrrT- LIFF and Clminacs \V.'1).\1H{ER, c tizens ot the United States, residing at Daytonfin" the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting-Jacks; and wedo declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact .lescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of refcrence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in lifting jacks of the typespecially adapted to be used in connection with automobiles.

An object of the invention is to provide in a jack means whereby the actuating mechanism can be easily ch nged from the condition in which objects are lifted to a condition in which the objects are lowered.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lifting jack which is simple in construction and llicient in operation; and still a furtherobject of the invention is to provide means whereby the effective operative height of the jack may be increased or shortened.

Referring to the accompanying draw ings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved jack parts being broken away and shown in section; Fi 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a partial view similar to Fig. l with the parts shown in a dilferent position; Fig. l is a section on the line l-l of Fig. 3; Fig. is a sec-.

tion 011 the line of Fig.1; and Fig. 6 is a x-rspective view of an attachment whereby the ell'ective operative height of the jack may be increased or shortened.

'lhroughout the. specification and drawings, similar reference characters indicate correspomling parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings. 1 represents a base from which upwardly extends a hollow square standard 2 having an opening 3 in one side. thereprovided with Adapted bei ug webs 4.

of. said standard suitable strengthening to vertically reciprocate in said standard 2 is a rack bar provided with a head disengagedfrom the ratchet teeth '7.

o. suitably shaped to engage the object to be ele'ated. The rack bar 5 is provided with teeth 7 adapted to be engaged by ane'levating pawl S pivoted at 9 to one end of a lever socket 10. The lever socket 10 is pivoted at ll and is adapted to receive one end of a lever 1'2. ll'hen the outer end of the lever 12 is elevated, the pawl 8 rill engage one of the ratchet teeth 7, and when the. outer end of said lever is depressed, the rack bar 5 will be elevated thereby. The rack bar is held in the position to which it has been elevated by the pawls S by a retaining pawl 13 pivoted at ll and pro- 'ided with a spring 15 which presses the pawl 13 against the ratchet teeth. 7. The pawl 13 is provided with a linger 16 by means of which said pawl may be manually The said pawl 8 is adapted to engage a stop pin 17 at the end of its upward movement. The pin 17 is instrumental in forcing the pawl 8 between the teeth of the ratchet bar there by preventing the ratchet slipping overthe teeth. The lever 12 is held within the lever socket 10 by a spring dog 18 received by a recess 19 and adapted to be depressed by a finger portion 20 which is exposed. \Vhen the finger portion 20 is depressed, the spring dog 18 releases the lever 1'3 which may then be removed from the socketl(). The rack bar 5 is intermittently elevated by vertically cscillating the lever 12 and the rack bar 5 is also lowered when under load by oscillating the lever 1'3 through the agency of the following means: The pawl 8 is laterally movable along its pivot 9 and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by a spring 21 which surrounds the pivot 9. The spring 31 is also instrumental in holding the pawl 8 in engagement with the rack bar 5, one end of said spring being attached to the lever socket 10. The pawl S shifted laterally on its pivotby means of a crank 22 on the inner end of a shaft or rod 23 journaled in the head of the lever 12. The crank 22 is provided with a projection or pin 2% which rides in a slot 25 in the pawl 8. The outer end of the shaft '23 is provided with a crank handle 26 by means of which said shaft and the inner crank .21? are rocked and thus the pawl S is moved from one side to the other. The Said pawl S is provided with a resilient arm I! and a. resilient arm 28,

formed of one piece of spring wire which rests in a kert' 29, being held therein by a. screw 30. The upper arm 27 is adapted to engage a projection 31 of the pawl 13 when the pawl b is in an elevated position and the pawl is shifted to the left, as seen in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3, the aria '27 is shown in engagement with the projection 31 and it will be seen that one side of the pawl 13 will be moved out of engagement with the teeth 7. The am. 28 is adapted to enter the enlarged end or' an opening 32 when the pawl 8 is in the position shown in Fig. 2. The opening 312 is in the under side of a casing extending from the standard 2. When the pawl S is shifted from the position shown in Fig. 2, and said pawl is in a lowered position, the arm 28 engages a cam surface 34: at the small end of the opening 32 which disengages the pawl S from the rack teeth 7, see Fig. 5.

The operation of the jack in lowering an object is as follows: The pawl 8 is shifted to the left as seen from Fig. 2 by rocking the crank 26. This operation disengages the pawl 8 from the teeth 7 and permits the outer end of thelever 12 to be depressed. When the outer end of the lever reaches a lowered. position, the arm 28 is.disengaged from the cam surface 34 which permits the pawl 8 to be placed in contact with the teeth 7 by the spring 21 and at the same time the resilient arm 27 also comes in contact with the pro ect1on 31 of the pawl 13. When the outer end of the lever 12 is then depressed slightly, the load on the rack bar 5 will be taken by the pawl 8 and the resilient arm 27 will release the pawl 13 from engagement with the rack bar 5 thereby permitting the rack bar 5 to be .lowered by elevating the outer end of the lever 12. Before the outer end of the lever 12 reaches the end of the upward movement, the arm 27 will release the projection 31 thereby permitting the spring 15 to place the pawl 13 in engage-- ment with the rack bar 5. The pawl 13 is, thercfore,'in a position to support the load on the jack when the pawl 8 reaches its lowered position. \Vhen the load on the jack is thrown-upon the pawl 13, the arm 28 will have engaged the cam surface 34 thereby disengaging the ratchet 8 from the teeth .7 and allowing the operation to be repeated.

To increase or diminish the cdective operative. ,height of the jack, the following attachment is provided. 35 represents a head having an opening 36 adapted to receive the head ti'of the rack bar 5. \Vhen the head 6 is within the opening 36, the rack bar 5 lies .within a notch 37 on the lowerside of the head 35. By this means the effective height of the jack may be increased to an. equal to the height of the head Downwardly extending from the head 35 is a plate 38prov1ded with a lag 39 adapted to I standard and rack, means earned by said actuating pawl ed in said standard, a lever extent lower end of the plate 38 is adapted to rest upon a pin it) extending from the rack bar 5 and through the opening 3. The pin 40 is instrumental in preventing the removal of the rack bara'hf'rom the standard 2 by engaging the upper end ll of the opening 3. The plate 38 is provided with a step 42 which is situated somewhat lower than the head 6. The step +2 is b awed by means of a rib *3. The effective operative height of the jack may be lowered to an extent equal to the distance between the head 6 and the step 42. This attachment may be used collectively with the head and step 42 or may be so constructed as to use a step or head singly. The attachment may be held in position by a. pin ell which extends through the head 35 and the rack bar 5, n'gilking it instantly attachable and detacha e.

Having described our invention, we claim.

1. In a fack, a standard, a rack bar mounted in said standard, a lever pivoted to said standard, an actuating pawl mounted on said lever in operative relation with said rack, a retaining pawl mounted in said in operative relation with said adapted to release said retaining pawl from engagement with said rack, means carried by said actuating pawl adapted to release said actuating pawl from engagement with said rack, and a crank carried by said lever and adapted to shift said actuating pawl whereby said retaining pawl is under the control of said actuating pawl.

2. In a jack, :1 standard, a rack bar mounted in said standard, a lever pivoted to said standard, a shiftable actuating pawl mounted on said lever and in operative relation with said rack, a retaining pawl mounted in said standard and in operative relation with said rack, a. projection extending from said retaining pawl, an arm extending from said actuating pawl and adapted to engage saicl projection when said actuating pawl is in a shiftable position, a second arm extending from said actuating pawl and adapted to-engage a portion of the casing to release said actuating pawl from engagement with said rack when said actuatinglpawl is in a shiftable position, and a crank carried by said leve' and adapted to shift said actuating pawl.

v 3. In a jack, a standard, a rack bar mountpivoted to said standard, a shiftable actuating pawl mounted on said lever andin operative relation with said rack, a retaining pawl mounted in said standard in ope 'ative relation with said rack, a projection on said retaining pawl, a, v

position, a second resilient arm extending end of said shaft and adapted to rock said ironi said actuating pawl and adapted to enorank.

gage a portion of the casing to release said In testimony whereof We nfiix our signauctuutmg pawl from engagement with sand turos, in presence of two \vitnp o5. me) when said uctuutii'u )uwl is in a hif- J ihh po--ition l or-inl' c ii'i'ied bv n-iid levor ,1 HhODORP HTLIB x 5 II XRLFS 1 Ui-KFR and adapted to Sillfi Sflld actuating pawl, 21 Q J shaft extending throughout the length of 'itnessest saui lore! and upon which snnl crank is )Il-ILLHC (iALLUWAY, 10 mounted, and means n'wuntcd. on the outer I\I.\'l"rnr.\\' Sncmncu. 

